Tdi battery tray larger than gas tray?

[hskrdu]

The NB's is entirely different, it isn't just a measurement thing. It has the different shape because the front end harness goes around the opposite side, it has the mounting tab for the air inlet tube (the G/J tube mounts to the body directly, up higher and further back on the inner fender), the battery cannot go as far to the outside on the NB because the headlight bucket is beside it (the G/J headlamp is in front of the battery), and the NB has its power steering fluid reservoir mounted to the inner end of the battery tray (the G/J reservoir is way over on the belt end of the engine).

Even the later plastic type battery tray the NBs use won't work.

B- As long as your watching this thread, why did the NB get a smaller battery for the same engine? Was it just due to space in the engine bay? It seems odd that the choice for a battery wasn't driven by the requiremetnts of the ALH/BEW or system overall.

 

[NarfBLAST]

B- As long as your watching this thread, why did the NB get a smaller battery for the same engine? Was it just due to space in the engine bay?

Yes! While Golf and Jetta front ends are identical and everything is swapable including the bumpers fenders and hood, the Beetle's front end is a little bit smaller and the headlights are pushed into the engine compartment to get that beautiful bubble shape. Stuff had to be re-arranged in the engine compartment just to make it fit, as Oilhammer described. I hope these thumbnail pictures that I borrowed help illustrate:



edit: I just noticed, by looking at the ide view, how close the headlight is to the front wheel in the Beetle compared to Golf and Jetta. That is the biggest differnce.

 

[hskrdu]

Thanks for the pics Paul- I wonder what the practical implications of the smaller battery are with the same engine? Different starter?

(And by identicle and swappable, I trust you to mean that one can create a Jolf or a Getta, not that we can mix and match).